Poor Qatar just can't catch a break, so the Gulf Cooperation Council teamed up and ordered regional media to lend a helping hand by not criticizing Doha's controversial World Cup bid.
Isn't it great to see the the Gulf countries joining together to defend one of their own?
Doha News didn't seem to catch the hint though and published a front page article titled, "GCC governments order media to support Qatar’s right to host World Cup."
We're not sure that Doha News fully understood the orders.
Al Jazeera, which is also based in Qatar – but has an international focus – took a softer tone, publishing an article titled, "GCC voices support for Qatar hosting 2022 World Cup." In the subheadline, the article goes on to explain that the GCC "encourages media in the region to counter those questioning Qatar's right to stage the event."
Hmm. So which is it? Encourages or orders?
Qatar News Agency positioned it as a request, saying that, "GCC information ministers renewed their call for the media to counter all those who seek to question the right of the State of Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup, stressing GCC states full solidarity with the State of Qatar and encouraged media in the GCC to continue countering these campaigns at home and abroad.”
Supporters of the GCC's latest statement argue that the foreign media coverage has been unfair and biased against Qatar, not providing a full picture. They argued that Russia's bid to host the World Cup has faced much less international criticism.
Regardless, we're not sure if ordering the press to report positively on an issue is the right way to counter biased media.